Criminal Law – Dishonour of Cheque – Deposit of Compensation – Petition against orders directing deposit of 20% of compensation awarded by the trial court under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court held that, as per the judgment in Surinder Singh Deswal v. Virender Gandhi, the word "may" in Section 148 of the Act should generally be construed as &quo...
Criminal Law – Default Bail – Right to Default Bail under Section 167(2) CrPC arises only if the charge-sheet has not been filed before the expiry of the statutory period – Supreme Court held that the filing of the charge-sheet within the stipulated period is sufficient compliance with Section 167(2) CrPC, and taking of cognizance is not material for this purpose – The High...
Criminal Law – Cheating – Section 420 IPC – The court, referring to the principle laid down in Damodar S. Prabhu v. Sayed Babalal (AIR 2010 SC 1097), held that it has the power to set aside a judgment of conviction on the basis of a valid compromise. Held that the judgment of conviction and sentence against the petitioner was set aside on the basis of a genuine and valid compromi...
Criminal Law – Bail – Predicate Offence – Money Laundering – High Court's Consideration of Bail under PMLA – Petitioner sought bail under Section 439 Cr.P.C. – High Court referred to Nikesh Tara Chand Shah case, ruling that the principle is of granting rather than denying bail. No evidence was provided by the prosecution indicating that the petitioner, if gr...
Criminal Law – Murder vs. Culpable Homicide – The accused attacked the deceased with multiple blows using a "Phakadiyat" on the head, resulting in severe injuries including a skull fracture – Supreme Court held that the case falls under Clauses Thirdly and Fourthly of Section 300 IPC – High Court's judgment altering the conviction from murder to culpable homic...
Criminal Law – Conviction for Murder – The appellants were convicted for the murder of two individuals, caused by multiple bullet injuries – Supreme Court upheld the conviction under Section 302 IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act – High Court’s judgment modified the trial court's conviction by acquitting the appellants under Section 307 IPC due to the lack of evid...
Criminal Law – Bail Application – Section 439 CrPC – The court held that bail cannot be denied solely on the ground that the accused has multiple prior cases. The precedent set by the Supreme Court in Maulana Mohd. Amir Rashadi's case (2012(2) SCC 382) was applied, emphasizing that the role of the accused in the current case and other relevant factors must be considered. Held...
Criminal Law – Conviction for Murder – The appellant, along with two others, was convicted for the murder of Rajinder alias Raju – Supreme Court found discrepancies in the prosecution’s case, including unreliable witness identification and lack of test identification parade – Conviction under Section 302 IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act was overturned due to insuffi...
Criminal Law – Quashing of Proceedings – Appellants accused of purchasing property alleged to have been attached due to prior financial misconduct by co-accused – Main allegations against co-accused for misappropriation in 1998-1999 – Appellants bona fide purchasers in 2019, with no registered attachment at purchase time – No prima facie case established against appel...
Criminal Procedure – Jurisdiction of Court-Martial vs. Criminal Courts – Concurrent jurisdiction exists for court-martial and ordinary criminal courts in cases involving army personnel charged with civil offences – Section 125 of the Army Act grants discretion to the designated officer to decide the trial forum – Designated officer's decision not to exercise this discre...